Spring wire fastening device



Jan. 30, 1962 E. GLEZEN 3,01

SPRING WIRE FASTENING DEVICE Filed 001;. 7, 1959 INVEN TOR 1 W45 2 6-4525 Sta - nite The present invention relates to fastening devices for securing members against movement, such as .fasteners used to assemble shelf supporting members and the like to interior walls of cabinets, stove ovens and the like.

In cabinets or in stove ovens having shelf supporting members fastened to the inner sides of their Walls, it is of great advantage to be able to quickly disassemble the shelf supporting members to leave the interior of the cabinet free of obstructions for fast and thorough cleaning thereof.

It is an object of the present invention to provide a removable fastening means for holding any manner of secured member against movement relative thereto, said means being readily engageable and disengageable from said secured member.

It is an object of the present invention to provide a fastening means for securing a shelf supporting member or the like to a cabinet wall, the member being readily detachable from said cabinet wall to facilitate thorough cleaning of the interior.

It is an object to provide a removable fastening means for securing a member to a wall, the fastening means being easily moved into fastening position but not readily or accidentally removed therefrom so as to prevent accidental disengagement.

It is an object to provide an inexpensive removable fastening means for fastening a shelf supporting member to a cabinet wall or stove oven wall so that the member and the wall can be easily assembled and disassembled. Other objects will be apparent from the specification, appended claims, and the drawings in which:

FIG. 1 is a fragmentary side elevational view showing .my improved removable fastening means securing a shelf supporting member to a wall according to the present invention. The fastening means is shown disengaged from its locking position in dot-dash lines; a

FIG. 2 is a fragmentarysectional view taken along the line indicated at 2-2 in FIG. 1;

FIG. 3 is a fragmentary sectional view showing the fastening means and its associated parts in an unlocked position, the view being taken along the line'indicated at 33 in FIG. 2; and

FIG. 4 is an enlarged fragmentary sectional view taken along the line indicated at 44 in FIG. 2.

As shown in the drawings, the present invention provides. a fastening device consisting of a single length of wire 1 having substantially straight end portions 2 and J3 connected by a central bowed portion 4, in combination with a second member fixed against movement axially inwardly relative to the end portion 2 and 3. In the specific embodiment shown, the fastening device is shown in combination with a wall 5 having a pair of openings 6 and 7 and a secured member, such as a shelfsupporting member 10, having a side 11 generally parallel to said wall 5 and having a pair of generally U-shaped lug portions or loops 12 and 13, each of which projects laterally through one of its corresponding wall openings 6 or 7 in the wall 5 when the member 10 is assembled therewith.

As seen in the drawings, the loop 12 projects through opening 6 while the loop 13 projects through opening 7. It is thus noted that normally the distance between the lug portions 12 and 13 of the side 11 is approximately the same as the distance between the openings 6 and 7 of the wall 5.

dfil fi li Patented Jan. 30, I962 In accordance with the present invention, an easily removable, yet very dependable fastening means is provided for securing the member 10 in a position preferably generally parallel to the wall 5. In the removable fastening means of the present invention, a hook 20 is located at the free end of portion 2 and a detent 21 is located at the free end of the straight portion 3, the portion 3 and detent 21, which detent includes a bump 25 and a free end 26, forming a generally L-shaped projection. All parts of the fastening means described lie in substantially the same plane. As seen in the drawings, the book 20 is adapted to engage the U-shaped lug portion 12 in a lug-engaging position while the detent 21 of the L-shaped projection is adapted to engage the U-shaped lug portion 13 in a lug-engaging position.

Thus, an inexpensive dependable fastener is provided for holding secured member 10 fixed against movement axially of the straight end portions 2 and 3. The fastening means is readily engaged into a locking position as shown in FIG. 1, but is not easily accidentally disengaged to an unlocked position as shown in FIG. 3.

Although not shown in the drawings, another wall, parallel to wall 5 and forming the interior of a container therewith, may also be provided with the removable securing means of the present invention to hold another side of the member 10 in a position parallel to the other cabinet wall. The fastening means used on the other side of member 10 is preferably the same as the fastening device 1 described for use in assembling the side 11 and the wall 5.

Thus, as seen in FIG. 2,-the member 10 can be a shelf guide member constructed of different diameter wires including vertical support wires 22 and horizontally disposed shelf supporting wires 23. As also seen in FIG. 2, one or more shelves 24- may be supported by the Wires 23 to provide shelving means for the interior of a cabinet, stove oven or other container.

The central portion 4 of each retainer wire has spring characteristics and is easily flexed by bowing the central portion in a flatter bend to disengage the hook 20 and the L-shaped projection 21 from the lug members to thereby remove the retainer wire I from its lug-engaging or locking position. The hook portion 20 is preferably generally V-shaped while the other projection 21 in combination with portion 3 forms a generally L-shaped outline, although the portion 20 might approach an L-shape.

When fastening the shelf guide member 10 in place, preferably the V-shaped portion or hook 261 of the retainer wire 1 is first inserted through loop 12, and then the L-shaped detent 21 is snapped into place by pushing on the central bowed portion '4 or straight leg poror distal leg 25 of the detent passes through loop 13.

As seen in the drawings, the detent 21 is provided with a bump 26 which is adapted to snap through the loop 13 to prevent accidental disengagement of the distal leg therefrom.

When it is desired to disassemble the shelf supporting member 10, the parts are so constructed that the L- shaped detent portion 21 can be removed from the loop 13 only by simultaneously holding or exerting slight pressure in the direction of arrow A in FIG. 1 and pushing in an opposite direction (as indicated by arrgw B) on the portion 3 to thus disengage distal leg 25 frbrn loop 13 and thereby allow easy removal of wire 1 from the loops 12 and 13. The resultant unlocked position of the wire fastener 1 is shown in FIG. 3.

Thus it is apparent the wire 1 is disengageable from the secured member only when the bowed portion 4 is held against shelf-shortening. In disengagement, force is applied to the portion 4 in a direction to prevent the portion 4 from becoming more bowed and simultaneously force is applied to move the distal leg 25 of the L-shaped projection in an opposite direction to clear bump 26 and thus move the bump 26 and leg 25 out of the loop :13. Thus, the direction of movement of the distal leg is opposite to the direction of the force applied to the bowed portion.

As best seen in FIG. 2 each of the lug portions comprise a middle arcuate part 27 and two generally parallel legs 28 and 29, each of the legs being rigidly connected to the side 11. Also as best seen in FIG. 2, the legs 28 and 29 form openings 30 and 31 in the lug portions 12 and 13, respectively.

As best seen in FIG. 4, the bump or hump 26 is preferably spaced apart from the straight leg portion 3 a distance at least about equal to the thickness of the leg 28 of the loop which forms the opening to receive the distal leg 25. The bump 26 preferably abuts the upper leg 28 of the loop when the distal leg 25 is in its locking position. Since the bump 26 is locked against the leg 28 of loop 13 and a pull on the bowed portion 4 opposite to arrows A, only locks the bump 26 tighter against the leg 28, the wire 1 cannot be accidentally disengaged from the loops 12 and 13 while it is in its normal use such as when used on food transporting cabinets or stove ovens. Pulling on the portion 4 in a direction opposite to arrows A in FIG. I only tightens the lock at 26-28. Two hands are necessary to provide the forces at A and B, FIG. 1, to release the fastener device.

In a preferred embodiment of the present invention as shown for example in FIG. 1, the straight leg portions 2 and 3 of the wire 1 are preferably aligned and in the same plane. Thus, when the openings 6 and 7 in the wall are vertically aligned and the loops 12 and 13 are vertically aligned, the member and wall 5 can be securely fastened together, first, by inserting the loops sidewardly or laterally through the openings 6 and 7; and, second, vertically aligning, the straight leg portions 2 and 3 of the wire 1 by engaging the hook 20 and the L-shaped detent 21 with loops 12 and 13, respectively.

As seen in FIG. 4 the bump 26 which abuts leg 28 of the loop is preferably about one half the thickness thereof. It is understood that the distal leg 25 may be bent into other shapes, providing there is a hump which can be used to snap the L-shaped detent 21 into place and secure it there.

It is also understood that while the bowed arcuate shape of the central portion is highly preferred, the central portion may be of a different configuration as long as there is some excess material to provide expansion or springing characteristics in the wire. For example, the central portion may be of a very shallow are, a very deep arc, a U-shaped contour or even a generally V- shaped contour. However, in any event the central portion provides the wire with spring characteristics and the bump on the distal leg provides a means of holding the wire to the secured member.

The movable fastening means can be advantageously used in the versatile assemblies of tierable aluminum cabinets and racks adapted for transporting relatively fiat baked goods such as doughnuts, rolls, or bread as disclosed and claimed in the copending application of Lewis E. Glezen, Serial No. 853,910 filed November 18, 1959.

The wire used to form the fastening device is preferably hard drawn wire and about to inch in thickness. The thickness of the wire forming the loops 12 and 13 is generally slightly thicker and is preferably about A; to inch in thickness, particularly when used with an aluminum cabinet such as described in the above mentioned copending application where the thickness of the cabinet walls is about to inch in thickness and the shelf supporting member 10 is constructed from wires having diameters of about A to inch.

It is to be understood that modifications and variations of the present invention other than those described herein may be made which are within the scope of the present invention according to the patent statutes.

What is claimed is:

l. A fastening device consisting of a single length of spring wire having a central bowed portion and end portions on each side thereof, a hook at the free end of one of said portions and a detent at the free end of the other of said end portions which forms a generally L-shaped projection therewith, said central portion, hook and detent all lying in substantially the same plane, and a secured member fixed against movement axially inwardly of said end portions, there being a hump in said detent engageable and disengageable from said secured member only when said bowed portion is held against selfshortening and said hook being engageable and disengageable from said secured member only when the detent is disengaged from said secured member.

2. A fastening device consisting of a single length of spring wire having a central bowed portion and relatively straight end portions on each side thereof, the straight end portions being generally parallel to each other and aligned along the longitudinal axis of the device, a secured member fixed against movement axially inwardly of said end portions, a hook at the free end of one of said end portions which is engageable and disengageable from said secured member only when the member is not secured by the device, and a detent at the free end of the other of said end portions and connected in a position generally perpendicular thereto, said central portion, end portions, hook and detent all lying in substantially the same plane, there being a hump in said detent engageable and disengageable from said secured member only when said bowed portion is held against self-shortening.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS 529,147 Oostrum Nov. 13, 1894 712,291 Gardiner Oct. 28, 1902 1,949,027 Pancoe Feb. 27, 1934 2,243,322 Van Uum May 27, 1941 2,767,452 Lombardi Oct. 23, 1956 

